


A Therapeutic Catastrophe

by jflashandcrash



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Deliroius humor of the author needing sleep XD, F/M, Some heavy content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-09 15:01:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13483953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jflashandcrash/pseuds/jflashandcrash
Summary: Reyna X Percy future AU short, as requested by VCRx. (Not canon to my TOO universe.)Happy Birthday, dude!





	1. Act I

Warning: Heavy themes. Not intended for ethical discourse, but as reactions to the events of the story. (It’ll make sense when you get to Act II.)

 

            When Reyna stepped out of Dr. Cenote’s office, she was shaking. Although she understood its importance, she hated the “no weapons” policy of New Rome. Whenever she sat in one of Dr. Cenote’s bean bag chairs, Dr. Cenote would provide her with a pencil box and a football sized eraser that she could dig the graphite into. But it wasn’t the same. She didn’t get the same satisfaction that she did from twisting her knife into a table or armrest.

            Reyna thought she’d prepared herself this time, but—when she stepped out—she felt like someone had tied plastic wrap around her heart and squeezed. There, sitting in the waiting room to the Harmonia Counseling Association was a male in his early twenties with jet black hair, a University of New Rome swim captain sweater, and jeans. There was a Nintendo Switch in his hands and a kinesiology textbook open to prop it in his lap. A pair of black reading glasses framed his green eyes. As soon as she saw them, that stupid “glasses bros” chant of his and Jason’s got stuck in her head.

            Percy Jackson

            Last time, Percy had given her a reflexive smile before realizing where they both were. She’d rushed out before she or Percy could get over their shock. This time, Percy gave her a friendly, relaxed wave. “Sup, Cap’? Long time, no avoid.” Like he’d rehearsed it.

            Reyna’s instinct was to stab Percy with her plastic knife for discovering a weakness and then to retreat back to her dorm room to figure out if anyone else had followed them there. But, as Dr. Cenote and she had discussed, there was no reason to be embarrassed around Percy. Although the therapist couldn’t divulge any information about why Percy was coming to see her, she could point out that Percy shared the same secret that Reyna did: both of them were coming here without anyone knowing.

            Trying to act as casual, Reyna pointed her thumb to the shutting door behind her. “You’re up, Swimmer’s Ear.”

            Percy shut down his Switch, closed the kinesiology textbook, and shoved everything into the cluster of loose papers in a backpack propped against his chair. When he stood up, he pointed to the plastic knife that she didn’t realize was still in her hand. “Careful. I’ve heard many lunch ladies have gone postal with those things.”

            Reyna smiled. One of her favorite things about their little group was how often they made her smile.

            An awkward moment passed where Reyna knew she should have a rebuttal and Percy should have walked into their shared therapist’s office with a secondary witty retort. Neither of them could pretend this wasn’t weird. What was she supposed o say? _Tell Dr. Cenote her bean bag has a hole in it._

            “I’ll wait for you to finish,” Reyna said.

            The words slipped out before she knew they were coming.

            “Oh,” Percy said.

            She waited for him to say why that wouldn’t be necessary, and she thought over some reason that she might have “forgotten” for why she couldn’t stay anyway. But, it wouldn’t work. Percy knew her regatta had been canceled today due to a naiad strike and they didn’t have classes on Sundays. And, for the demigod “boxing” club, they had agreed to hold off on their evening brawl as to not infringe on Lacy’s birthday party, an event both she and Percy had squirmed for excuses to avoid.

            Instead of coming up with the same excuse as he used on Lacy, “ _I need to clean the pond..?_ ” His eyes brightened. “Thanks!” he said. “I would say I’ll try not to take long…” he trailed off and shrugged.

            They both knew the sessions ran 45 minutes. Former praetors could plan back-to-back sessions on off hours, but Reyna suspected Percy had the same problem she did—accounting for an hour and a half was more difficult than 45 minutes.

            “Hurry up, Jackson,” she teased.

 

* * *

 

 

            When Percy walked out, he half-expected Reyna to have left him a pile of explosives to eviscerate him and any trace of Dr. Cenote’s office. The other half of him expected Reyna had gotten fed up waiting for him.

            He was pleasantly surprised to find her still in the waiting room, _not_ building a bomb.

            Demigods weren’t well known for their _waiting_ skills and Reyna was no exception. Dr. Cenote and the other therapists of Harmonia Associates had left toys and fidget cubes all over the waiting room. She was absently sharpening her plastic knife with a nail file and had successfully gotten the blade to real shanking status.

            As Percy approached her, he smiled. “You could definitely lead the new recruits to victory with that.”

            She snorted and tossed her knife into the trashcan.

            They stepped out of the narrow hallway marked off for the counseling office and into an elevator for the rest of the office building. Percy had to marvel at how he could go toe-to-toe with a god or a titan but small talk in an awkward situation? He’d rather stab Ares in the foot a hundred times.

            They had a lot to talk about and normally never had a problem, but he couldn’t get his mind off Dr. Cenote’s office. 

            “Did you drive here?” he asked.

            Reyna shook her head. He liked her new hair cut. The shorter waves had a lot of bounce against the collar of her leather jacket.

            She sighed. “No, I took the bus and walked. My bike is too conspicuous.”

            “I think you mean too awesome,” he countered.

            Everyone was jealous of her motorcycle, especially with all the speed attachments and boosts Leo and Nico had added. And—Percy had to admit—the emergency medical and siege supply compartment that Will and Piper had encouraged was a fantastic add on for when Reyna inevitably got attacked while out cruising along Highway One.

            “Did you want a ride back?” Percy offered.

            _Great going, Jackson_ , he thought. They could barely make it down an elevator ride without resorting to looking at their shoes, and he was trying to doom them to being trapped in a car for another seven minutes.

            “As long as your hunk of junk isn’t going to get us killed,” she said. The elevator dinged and they stepped out, toward the parking lot.

            “Leo assures me that the engine is perfectly fine for at least a hundred more miles,” he said. “We just can’t go over fifty.”

            “You know, he could probably build you a whole new car for fun and save you the trouble of visiting Hades early.”

            Percy laughed bitterly. “Yea, but what’s the point of being a demigod if you’re not living on the edge?”

            Reyna looked away. Percy knew he’d struck a cord. There was _no_ way she hadn’t been discussing that with Dr. Cenote. Percy figured that should go on an entry questionnaire: _do you fear going to the grocery store or picking up your laundry could result in eminent death or a good god-harassing? Does looking at Cheese n’ Wieners give you PTSD? You’re in the right place!_

            When Reyna hopped into his Outback, she set to readjusting the seat for her height. Some part of Percy was pleased to think of how annoyed and suspicious Annabeth would be next time she got in his car. He ground his teeth, trying to think about something else.

            “What do you want to listen to?” he asked.

            She shrugged, propping her elbow against the window to lean on her hand. “Whatever you have on.”

            Percy snorted. That was like having a girl say, _all swimming holes are safe_ when one was actually a tar pit. “What do you actually want to listen to?”

            Reyna stared at him, raising a critical eyebrow.

            Percy’s fingers hesitated over the radio dial. As a Christmas gift, he let Leo install an old-school radio. In New Rome, the presence of half-bloods tended to make any newer technology go haywire, but this worked great. “So, if Chainsmokers comes on, you’re not going to call it ‘evil, commercialized pop for the masses’ and force me to change it to a Classical station?”

            “You’re joking.”

            Percy punched on the radio. _What Lovers Do_ by Maroon 5 filled the car. His stomach clenched reflexively, waiting for the inevitable—

            “Jackson, this is evil, commercialized garbage for the masses,” Reyna said.

            He glanced over to see Reyna’s stern expression cracking to a smile.

            They both laughed at the absurdity of his prior paranoia. If he explained, she might get it but…

            He almost went to apologize, and realized he didn’t need to with her around. “Shut up, Ramirez,” he said instead, pulling out of the parking lot.

            They hummed along for another thirty seconds before he broke. “Who else knows?”

            He turned the dial down a little. All his instincts said he shouldn’t bring it up—that might make it weirder—but he had to know.

            He was scared Reyna would shut down. Her shoulders slumped in resignation. “Nico recommended her to me, but I never directly told him I was going. You?”

            “Same,” Percy said, “Annabeth doesn’t know I’m going. She knows I went once but…” Percy swallowed. “The whole _why are you talking to a stranger instead of me_. Kind of kills the mood. Did you… did you ever tell Mr. Perfect-Legacy-of-Mars Aaron?”

            Reyna hated it when they teased her about her previous boyfriend. It had been difficult, considering that guy was on his way to becoming a Youtube star with his looks and talent.

            Reyna’s hand clenched into a fist. She scowled out the window and Percy could tell he’d gone too far. After half a minute of silence, he went to turn back up the music, but Reyna spoke in a clear, controlled tone, “He hit me. We fought a lot. Things escalated. I stayed with him too long.”

            Like it was nothing.

            Percy’s fingers shook. He let them fall away from the dial.

            Rage boiled in his stomach.

            “I already took care of it,” she said curtly.

            He swallowed again, trying to focus on the road, else they end up in a fountain. If he reacted too much, he knew she would never tell him anything again. He thought about Reyna’s other college relationships. “Kahale didn’t—?”

            She laughed sadly. “No. He did everything right. I thought he was too good for me. You’ve probably heard it from Jason before, but it can be intimidating dating a child of Venus.”

            Percy gripped the steering wheel.

            After she divulged all of that, he felt like he should have been able to talk about Annabeth. But his stomach kept clenching. Instead, he found himself rambling, wanting to remind her that she was worth everything without upsetting her. He knew her look well from Annabeth, the _stop while you’re ahead or you’re going to slide right off a cliff and into some angry dracaena._

            “You know, Kahale’s still hung up on you. I mean, you are a hot ex-praetor that drives around on a motorcycle and kicks the crap out of everyone Sunday night—” Percy could sense Reyna tensing. “—and will be slacking off on doing so tonight—” _Too far, Jackson._

            “Why? Did you want me to kick the crap out of you right now?” she asked, her voice tight.

            “I thought you told Lacy that you’d be busy because you needed to pick up some skin ointment for Aurum? I’m sure they have some serious rust diseases for metal dogs and beating me up could take some time.”

            “I panicked,” she admitted to her lame excuse. Reyna relaxed again before asking, “Cleaning the pond?”

            “Hey, the naiads didn’t go on strike for nothing,” he said, even though his excuse to Lacy had _nothing_ to do with the strike.”Besides, if you beat me up, I’ll be late for _Justice League II_. I got tickets, but Annabeth bailed on me. Wanna come?”

            Percy didn’t know why he lied about it. He could just _tell_ Reyna that Annabeth hadn’t bailed, but didn’t have the time in the first place, and—if she did—she would make them go watch a boring historical documentary, or else she’d get a bad rap in the department for watching bad action movies. Just like she’d get a bad rap for listening to commercialized music.

            With Frank and Hazel in Canada, taking care of his estates, Will and Nico backpacking through Northern Europe, and Jason and Piper busy getting a loan to create better structures at Camp Half-Blood, he figured Reyna must be as restless as he’d been. The times he’d seen her at crew practice and when they’d brought Mrs. O’Leary, Aurum and Argentum to the dog park—he knew she’d kick his ass for pointing it out—but she’d seemed lonely.

            With how busy Annabeth had been working on her master’s program, continuing to erect structure to the Olympians and all the problems they’d been having, he could understand the feeling.

            Percy was sure Reyna would demand he take her back to the dorms or worse—suggest they actually _attend_ Lacy’s party. Lacy was a great girl, but mixing drinking games with a bunch of Aphrodite children had proved a terrible idea in the past. Percy shuddered to think of the joint New Year’s party that Lacy and Dakota threw. Never forget. Never again.

            Percy anticipated Reyna’s refusal so thoroughly, he flicked the turn signal to go back to main campus instead of the movie theater. When she leaned forward to reverse the signal, he glanced at her.

            She smiled again. “I heard Shayera throws a Prius at Hal Jordon. I could get behind some Prius violence.”

            Percy grinned, changing lanes for more than just the road. 

 

* * *

 

 

Author note: I’m not used to working entirely with canon characters, so I hope this worked and that you’re enjoying so far!

Check in next week for Act II! :D When things get a bit more *ehem* personal ;)


	2. Act II

 

 

Warning: Heavy themes. Not intended for ethical discourse, but as reactions to the events of the story. (It’ll make sense when you get there.) Regardless of heavier themes, I hope you enjoy :D

 

Act II

Six Months Later…

 

              The water reflected the clouds so perfectly that the line of redwoods in the distance was the only real marker to separate the sky and the ground. That, and—being a son of Poseidon who was hated by Zeus—Percy didn’t exactly get “peaceful and homey” vibes from the sky like he did the water.

              Although the chilly lake didn’t have the same rapid rate of healing as the ocean did for him, he could feel the gash on his arm mending, the ache in his swollen eye easing, and his busted lip closing. Despite all the injuries he’d acquired before leaving for Dr. Cenote’s office and starting his monthly lake trip with Reyna and Nico, Percy had never felt lighter.

              He exhaled into the water and rolled onto his back to float beside Reyna’s kayak. “You ready, Cap?” he asked, grinning.

              “I’m ready to smoke you, Jackson,” she said.

              She had been feigning relaxation since she saw his condition that morning. Even now, he could see how tightly she gripped the paddle.

              Normally, Nico would time their races: Reyna on a kayak, Percy swimming freestyle. But Percy had asked Nico not to come on what would be their sixth monthly outing. Will liked to call their little trio the _Happy Therapeutic Weekenders_ since they’d all opened up about their therapy sessions. If _Happy Therapeutic Weekenders_ meant beating the crap out of each other once a month, doing boat, water and shadows races, and playing survival games, then, sure. _Happy Weekenders_ was the perfect title.

              Normally, they took Percy’s _Outback_ , but—without Nico—Percy had asked they take Reyna’s motorcycle. He could still recall the softness of her leather jacket when he had wrapped his arms around her for the ride north.

              Now, her _Harley Sportster_ was parked under one of the redwoods with their camping supplies, where Aurum and Argentum were on _Attempt 463_ to take down Mrs. O’Leary.

              “Jackson.”

              Reyna’s curt, commanding voice broke him out of his thoughts. She looked down at him critically from the perch of her kayak. Over the rim, Percy could see the vibrant purple of her swim top against her beautiful, Puerto Rican tan.

              He grinned. “Let’s go!” And shot towards the center of the lake.

 

* * *

 

 

              Reyna tore her paddle into the water.

              This whole day had been unprecedented.

              Percy was never late for his therapy sessions, never wore contacts, and would normally have a brief, annoyed witticism about an injury instead of total silence. Nico had come on their lake outing for the past six months, and never canceled, especially without explanation. She hoped he and Percy hadn’t gotten into an altercation that left the son of Hades dead and Percy trying to cover up with a terrible, “Hey! It just means we can split Nico’s lunch.”

              Shaking off dark thoughts of the unprecedented events, Reyna smirked at the idea of beating Jackson in a water race.

              Whenever she raced against him—boat versus swimmer—he never looked human. With his muscles, the methodical rhythm of his strokes, and the speed only fit for a maritime creature, he looked like a god. The only give away was the absurdity of his swim trunks, though Apollo would have approved of the—

              Reyna’s kayak came to an abrupt stop.

              She slammed forward in her seat.

              Before she fully knew what the threat was, she’d pulled a silver knife from the inside of her kayak.

              There was nothing there.

              Not even a strong ripple in the lake.

              Reyna glared down at Percy.

              He floated upright beside her, one arm out like a school crossing guard with a stop sign.

              “Jackson?” she asked.

              “Baby turtle crossing,” he said.

              She tried not to smile.

              He glanced up and raised an eyebrow at her. “How would you like to be swimming along and have a paddle ten times your size send you for a first class flight?”

              Although she’d always known Percy to take care of his fellow demigods, she’d come to learn a whole new level of his compassion through the creatures in this lake. Since most of them had never seen the ocean before, they didn’t speak the same dialect as Percy, but he always looked out for them. He liked to point out that they’d have lots of bass and turtle allies if a lake monster was dumb enough to go after three powerful demigods.

              “Has their voyage put them at a safe distance?” she asked, inserting some bravado into her voice.

              Percy nodded gravely. “May these squirtles continue their day in peace.”

              While his head was bowed in a moment of mock silence, Reyna splashed Percy’s face with her paddle.

              She realized her mistake when his grin darkened. Normally, Nico would be around to help her in a water fight, and shadow traveling was incredibly useful when you were in Percy’s natural element.

              Reyna felt her kayak lurch downward. The front dipped, like a lake monster _had_ spotted the front of her boat and thought _huh, pretty_ , and decided to drag it to the bottom.

              Then her kayak slurped into the lake, water thundering around her. In a moment of disorientation, the torrent ripped her from the boat and paddle and she was left with nothing but the heart-clenching helplessness of being caught in a whirlpool.

              Until she slammed into something.

              For an instant, she thought Percy had miscalculated, that he’d sent an overpowered wave at her and that she was about to be crushed against something in the lake.

              But, the blast of water stopped. When she opened her eyes, she wasn’t under water.

              Well, she was..?

              But she wasn’t engulfed by liquid anymore.

              Everything was hued with turquoise. Fortunately, she could breathe normally. When she pushed up, she found that she’d slammed into Percy’s chest. He was floating on his back, hands behind his head. There was a bubble of air encasing their upper torsos.

              He removed his left arm to point diagonally above them. He smiled absently, like he _hadn’t_ sent her into a brief panic.

              “They wanted to say thanks,” he said. “And see what you look like.”

              Reyna glanced up to see the silhouettes of tiny turtles in the incoming sunrays. There were at least two dozen paddling above them. For a moment, she could imagine she was snorkeling along the beaches of San Juan, though there weren’t nearly enough colorful fish or huge sea turtles. Her kayak and paddle bobbed a dozen feet away.

              “I thought you said you couldn’t understand them,” she said.

              “I can’t fully, but sometimes you just know,” he said.

              Reyna looked back at Percy. The water had smoothed out the puffiness of his swollen eye and completely closed his busted lip. All that was left of his mysterious altercation from this morning was the thin slit of a scar on his arm and even that was fading. She couldn’t imagine what monster could get such a drop on the son of Poseidon as to hit him in the face like that.

              With the chilly lake water still wrapped around their legs and the cooled air, his chest felt so warm against her forearms and stomach. Reyna wished she hadn’t noticed, wondering if she would slip into the water if she slid off of him and if the pressure difference would give her decompression sickness. She glanced at where he was tucking his left hand back behind his head—

              “Percy, I think you lost your engagement ring when you flipped my boat,” she said, hoping that would cue him in to how close they were. Most boys she knew didn’t have engagement rings, but Percy had wanted one.

              Percy frowned, but didn’t start a frantic search like she’d expected. He withdrew his arm again and set his hand along the small of her back, right where the water had stopped. His eyes still distantly focused on the turtles above them. Their shadows cast tiny turtle shapes across his face. “Reyna… I don’t expect you to answer this, but why did you start going to Dr. Cenote? I don’t want you to feel pressured into telling me. I just…” He swallowed. “I feel like it wasn’t because of boys.”

              Reyna clenched her fists. They’d made an unspoken agreement not to ask each other. There was only one time anyone had opened up—it was about two months ago, around their camp fire. Nico and Percy exchanged a few stories about how horrific Tartarus was.

              Percy’s mouth moved and she could see him tensing to apologize.

              “That…” Reyna released the strain in her fist. “That was part of it.”

She suddenly understood why he brought her down here, in this private pocket of air. Although he didn’t know any of the details, Reyna’s paranoia had skyrocketed after Bryce had overheard a conversation between her and Nico about her father. Nowhere felt safe. Not even Dr. Cenote’s office. Even here, some vague paranoia told her that someone was scuba diving nearby with an underwater camera and hydrophone to record the conversation. She could calm herself slightly by remembering the turtles and bass would probably alert Percy to another person’s presence. Aquatic security systems: check.

              With a shaky breath, Reyna pushed her face into Percy’s collarbone. The scent of saltwater made it easier to breath.

              A year of therapy had passed before Reyna could open up to Dr. Cenote. She tried to remember how she felt afterwards: better? Relieved? Horrified? Numb..?

              “I’m scared of turning into my father,” she whispered. Under several feet of water, Reyna knew she didn’t have to, but she couldn’t get her voice any louder. “I can’t stop thinking about—” Her words choked off.

              Just saying that sentence aloud—Reyna found herself shaking. She couldn’t talk about her dreams, how she could barely control them after Gaea. During her time as praetor, she’d become so skilled at concentrating her nightmares into a dreamed pool in the Garden of Bacchus, but Gaea had shown her how flawed the tactic could be, and Aaron, the abusive son of Mars, had ruined that place of peace.

              And now, after balancing the delicate act of orator and military leader, after watching assassinations in the senate and ineptitude rewarded in her ranks, after mitigating betrayals and watching friends torn to pieces by monsters, she should have been able to find peace at New Rome University. Just like her father should have been able to find peace after Iraq at their home in San Juan.

              But, here she was: worried Percy could have killed her—whether by accident or intention—with a whirlpool in this lake. Sometimes, the only person she trusted was Nico, and she was constantly scared he’d try to kill himself, like he had tried two summers ago. She couldn’t leave her house without being heavily armed, even in the safety of New Rome, without feeling vulnerable and naked.

              A sob wormed its way out of Reyna’s mouth. And her nightmares had only gotten worse, shaking her core and telling her nothing she loved would survive.

              Reyna flinched when Percy’s hand rolled across her back.

              He paused.

              When she burrowed against him, heaving, Percy wrapped his arms around her.

              Reyna wanted to redirect the conversation, to say she was worried about Hylla, that her sister had grown more paranoid too, but the words wouldn’t form. Instead, her body shuddered with tears that she couldn’t show anyone, because she couldn’t let them know how dangerous she knew the world was and how much it scared her.

              Despite all her fear, Reyna felt herself relax into Percy’s embrace. As a tactician, she knew—had he wanted to kill her—Percy would have already drowned her. As a friend, she knew he wouldn’t, or at least wouldn’t unless possessed by an eidolon.

              That was more comfort than she’d had around anyone in years, other than Nico or Gleeson. Although she didn’t consider herself a sentimental person, the physical representation of the emotion felt soothing.

              Her heaves quieted until all she could hear was the gentle lapping of the water and Percy’s heartbeat.

              Throughout her tears, he hadn’t said anything. He held her close, one arm against the small of her back, one hand across her shoulder blades, his chin tucked over her head.

              “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” she managed.

              “That’s fine. Only say what you want to. I mean—I’m only doing this because I want a hug, not because I think you need one.” He squeezed her gently.

              Reyna choked on a laugh. She opened her blurry eyes to stare at the deep tan of his chest. “Why are you in?”

              The way she said it made her feel like they were discussing a jail sentence. Considering how they couldn’t escape going to Dr. Cenote’s office, she guessed it was similar.

              Percy swallowed. “About a year ago, Annabeth and I started having some serious problems.”

              If Reyna hadn’t just been crying, she might have held her breath to see if she’d heard him right. Percy and Annabeth had always acted like a happy couple. Over the last few months, he’d released a few grumbles about her, but nothing serious.

              He laughed bitterly. “It was further back than that, probably at the start of college. Normal stuff at first. Kinda hinted by the fact that she’s now on the first year of her masters and I’m on my fifth year as an undergraduate. I don’t exactly make her look good…”

              There was no way Percy could make Annabeth look bad. Reyna snorted. “You only saved Western civilization twice.”

              “Three times.”

              She tapped her fingers against his skin skeptically. “What was the third?”

              “I’ll tell you about it sometime. It started with a giant crocodile.”

              “Serious problems?” she asked before they got too off track.

              Percy sighed. He leaned backwards onto the water like it was a pillow. “I get that she doesn’t have a lot of time, between her schoolwork, her internships, and rebuilding Olympus, but… I—I eventually want to get away from the gods and have a family. After everything they’ve put us through, I fucking hate them.”

              Reyna tried not to flinch, now with a better understanding of why Percy wanted to talk in the isolation of the lake water.

              “But here she is, on a life-long project for _them_. They’re not even paying her. It’s like she bought into their bureaucratic bullshit and is so proud of it.” His grip became uncomfortably tight for a moment, then relaxed. “We had been engaged for three years. I understood that she didn’t want to get married until she was done with her studies, and I wouldn’t have wanted her stressing over it, but she just got accepted to a doctoral program…”

              Percy inhaled shakily. Reyna couldn’t shake the feeling he was avoiding something. “Okay,” he said, “Dr. Cenote told me it would be good to open up about this but, who would have thought wrestling a giant, flying pig would be easier than opening up about your feelings.”

              Reyna smiled softly. “We’re warriors, not politicians. We like to punch problems. Not talk at them.”

              He grunted. “True… Reyna, about eight months ago, Annabeth started acting weird and more distant. I hired a child of Mercury to do some investigating for me—I know I shouldn’t have—but, she found out that Annabeth had gone to an abortion clinic a couple of times.”

              Reyna felt her jaw drop. “Percy…”

              When she pulled back to glance up, she found Percy’s eyes watering. “I… I understand that it is her body and I want to support her, but it was like I wasn’t even part of it. I know the arguments. And I hate the way people tend to phrase it. I only have to ‘stick it in her once’ and she has to carry it for nine months.”

              His voice went from metered to heated. “But I would have been part of those nine months and I would have helped raise it for eighteen years, even if it meant I had to be a single dad or done some stupid quest for Zeus to have him insert the baby into my thigh or something so I could birth it—”

              Percy choked on a bitter laugh. “I’m sorry—I wouldn’t have said those things. I’m just still pissed. I respect her choice. H-had she come to me and told me she’d already decided, I would have supported her in the decision. But I wish she would have talked to me first. Then I could have been with her through the process. I could have been the one to drive her to the clinic and been there if she needed someone to talk to. It would be different if I thought she was doing okay, but she’s clearly not. It’s almost like she’s avoided me since then. She won’t tell me about it. I don’t think she’s talked to Piper or Hazel. I couldn’t be with someone who would keep secrets like that from me, and who could push me away when she needs me the most.”

              He trembled.

              Reyna settled back down onto his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.

              He burrowed his face into the crook of her neck.

              After his breathing quieted back to normal, Reyna felt like she should say something, but she realized how appreciative she was that Percy hadn’t said much. He didn’t pretend he knew what was happening in her head, or say there was no way she could break down into a mania. He’d listened without judgment.

              Considering Reyna had no idea how Percy or Annabeth could have felt in this situation, she decided a comforting listen was the best thing she could do for him. She cleared her throat. “I know you have Dr. Cenote, but I’m here for bro talk about your fiancée whenever Jason isn’t around.”

              Percy laughed, his tone much lighter. “Thanks. But it shouldn’t be about Annabeth anymore. I broke up with her this morning and gave her back the engagement ring.”

              Reyna tensed again. Although he kept talking, she wasn’t sure she could hear him.

              “I want to be with someone who will talk with me openly, and will work through problems as a team. You’d think—after going to Tartarus and back—we could do that, but—” He shrugged. “—time changes people. Annabeth and I had drifted further and further apart and… honestly, I can’t express how relieved I was after this morning. I know I made the right decision.”

              She thought about Percy’s busted lip, his swollen eyes, and the cut he’d had on his arm. Annabeth was definitely someone who could get a drop on Percy. And—knowing the daughter of Athena—Percy was lucky to get out of a breakup alive.

              With his explanation, their surrounding seemed to intensify. Percy’s salty scent became overwhelming, the dampness of the lake seemed to thicken, and Percy’s gentle touch—still caressing her back and shoulders—

              “I’m not a rebound or a backup, Jackson.” She hoped she sounded firm. She felt like the comment came out more a whisper.

              “I wouldn’t want you to be,” he said. “You deserve so much more than that. Even if I’m normally pretty oblivious to this stuff, I can’t pretend I haven’t been thinking about you. But, I know I’ll need a few months at least to straighten out everything in my head. I just…”

              He pulled away to give her a sad smile. “I wanted to say thank you for everything. For listening to me and talking to me. You didn’t know it, but you’ve been my best friend through one of the hardest times of my life.”

              “Tartarus,” Reyna reminded him skeptically, though—in reality—she was trying not to process what he’d said. She felt like she’d made a tactical miscalculation and was on the verge of showing a gaping vulnerability that she wasn’t ready to show, even to an ally.

              He frowned. “Sometimes it’s worse to see something you love fall apart slowly than to have everything happen at once. But, as the Doc says, ‘The only route in time is forward.[1] No reason to fret over the past when all you have left is to build a better future.’ Have you noticed how awful the paintings in her office are?”

              Reyna appreciated the change in subject. “We could get her some new artwork for Christmas. And then burn the old ones while she’s out on lunch break.”

              Percy snorted. “Christmas is months away. I hope we can end the Bad Painting Reign of Terror sooner than that.”

              They both seemed to accept this as the end of their serious conversation. The turtles above them parted as their air pocket slowly rose towards the surface.

              “Jackson,” Reyna said while they were still under the water’s protection.

              “Mm?”

              “I’ll kill you if you tell anyone what I told you.”

              His smile broadened. “Right back at you, Captain.”

              They broke the surface with little more than a ripple. Percy didn’t immediately release her like she’d suspected, but gathered her into his arms. The water rushed up gently, forming a sort of ramp up to her kayak. He must have created some kind of current on the other side too, to prevent it from drifting away.

              Percy set Reyna back into her seat. Then he lay down on his ramp, now at her waist level, staring at her with a dumb smile. All his wounds from earlier were completely gone—there wasn’t even a scar on his arm.

              Reyna hadn’t realized until then that she was still shaking. They both _felt_ shaky.

              “Reyna, can I do something that I shouldn’t do yet, before you reject me, or before I think it through, or before Annabeth concocts some plan to kill me tomorrow so I won’t be able to in the future?” he asked.

              From the way he lifted himself to be level with her, she already knew what was coming. But she wanted to pretend she didn’t. That way, when his lips tenderly met hers, like inhaling a fresh ocean breeze, she couldn’t already decide if she thought it was a good or bad idea.

              After all these years, Reyna thought she was over Percy—and she had been. But like he said, time changes people. Percy and she were both different from when they were sixteen. And—when his fingers slide against the back of her neck and she grabbed his soft, black hair—she found herself happy that things _hadn’t_ worked out then.

              Because then Percy wouldn’t be grabbing her waist now, leaning further off his watery ramp.

              The boat rocked softly when Reyna slid one hand down to clutch his side, feeling the flex of muscles as he curled more into her. The press of his mouth roughened; his breathe heated and Reyna could almost pretend they were coming to the end of a wrestling match. A very private, exclusive wrestling match. 

              Reyna nipped his lower lip. Percy mumbled, and grasped the small of her back. He lifted her chest against his. His skin was slick, though she couldn’t tell if it was from the water or from the buildup of sweat under the warm sun. 

              The boat’s rocking intensified when Percy climbed onto the cockpit. If he were anyone else, they would have capsized, but the son of Poseidon kept the kayak stable, proving he could multitask with his powers and his hands.

              Percy picked her up, out of the seat, and set her onto the cockpit rim, so he could kneel where she had been sitting. Although he went to guide her legs, she didn’t need encouragement to hook them around his hips. The rim of his swim trunks rubbed against her exposed stomach. They wore so little material, Reyna couldn’t pretend she didn’t feel every part of him.

              Percy rocked against her with the rhythm of the boat, returning one hand to the small of her back and the other to her hair. He kissed down her chin to her neck, whispering, “Do you want to set our pace, Captain?”

              Reyna slipped her hand from his hair, down his chest and abs, to the tie of his swim trunks. She glanced over his shoulder—

              And burst out laughing.

              Percy paused and pulled back, giving her a quizzical glance. “I didn’t think I steered the comment too much into the rowing reference.”

              She tried to quiet down her laughter, but couldn’t. “I think we upset the dogs,” she said and pointed behind Percy.

              He turned.

              Along the shoreline sat two _very_ upset metal greyhounds. Aurem and Argentum were whining. Metal dogs didn’t exactly make the best swimmers, and she hadn’t commanded they poof over. Meanwhile, a gigantic mastiff whined about thee yards into the water. Mrs. O’Leary’s tail thwacked into the lake with an obstinate persistence that Reyna couldn’t believe they’d ignored.

              Percy broke into a grin and laughed.

              They pulled away from each other. Percy’s grin turned sheepish when he returned his gaze to her. “So, about the few months to straighten out my head…” he said.

              “You’re off to a stunning start.” She smirked.

              He shrugged. “I can’t pretend I haven’t been thinking about kissing you for awhile.”

              Reyna felt the lightheartedness drain out of her when she remembered that he’d been engaged that morning. That kiss—she felt so safe, warm, and relaxed. But this wasn’t the right time. And she didn’t want to get attached—anymore attached—if Percy decided the next day that he’d made a mistake. “We can make sure Nico comes on future outings,” she suggested.

              Percy nodded. “I told him I needed to talk to you on this one. I think he had a guess. But, at least for the next few months, he should probably be around.”

              “And we always have people around us during demigod fight club and at the dog park,” she tried to keep her voice sounding strong.

              Percy gently squeezed her waist and sighed. “These next few months are going to be rough… but I want to do this right. You’re worth doing this right.”

              “Hey Jackson.”

              “Yea?”

              “Get out of my boat.”

              Percy laughed again and slid back into the water. Reyna hadn’t realized until then how quick her breath was, like she’d finished a regatta in her standard stroke position with their shell coming in first.[2]

              “You know, Jackson, I’m not going to wait around for you,” she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

               That didn’t dampen his smile. “You shouldn’t. But, if you find someone while I’m trying to straighten out my head, just know I’m going to be deadly jealous of that lucky bastard. Now, catch—”

              Reyna reflexively reached out when Percy threw her paddle back to her. She snatched it out of the air.

              “Race you back to shore.” He winked.

              “I’m ready to smoke you, Jackson,” she said.          

              Reyna calmed her breathing, enjoying the warmth of sunshine on her skin, the cool breeze along the lake, and the view of the redwoods.

              Despite feeling completely overwhelmed with everything, Reyna knew they could still have a fun weekend on the lake and on future lake outings. Just without doing anything else to upset the dogs for the next few months.

 

* * *

 

Author’s note: Thanks for reading! I hope you have enjoyed Reyna and Percy’s stumbling through life and romance! :D

There will be one last installment for this short, set a few more months in the future. Admittedly, the focus of Act III isn’t as much on Percy/Reyna and is more an experimental piece I wrote for my own amusement. If you decide to keep reading, I hope still hope you enjoy! But, if you stop here with our potential couple, let me know what you think! Thank you to those of you who have already showed your support!

 

* * *

Footnotes: 

 

[1] Mel, “Unless you’re in the Lotus Casino.”

[2] Crew terms. I don’t get them either, but that’s what my crew friend said to write for rowing terminology.


End file.
